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Macaron Tutorial

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Update 6/18: You can head over Simply Hue written by the adorable Vicki to read a little interview she did with me about work, dessert, inspirations and passions. Then come back here for dessert, ehehe!

Thank you for all the good vibes you sent throughout the weekend, they were truly uplifting. You can trust that they are already bottled up and ready to be used for the next phase of whatever this is we are in. One sure thing for Bill and myself right now is that our marriage is stronger than ever, our couple and friendship thicker than glue. If a dessert could define it in a nutshell, it could well be these verrines of Vanilla Tapioca and Milk Chocolate Lime Cremeux.

Can I be annoyingly tacky by saying that our relationship is as comforting as vanilla tapioca pudding? Will you believe if I added that it has this sexy layer of milk chocolate cremeux to it? And that we still find a way to add a little spice and humor to life like adding lime to chocolate? I can, I am and I stand by the comparison. It certainly got B. to say outloud "These are so good! Will you marry me? Again?"

I did smile at that one because at that precise moment I was reading a very interesting email and knew he'd giggle with me. It was a marriage proposal. From a reader. Oops! A "back-up" of some sort. A quite funny note actually ending in "you know, just in case things don't work out for you guys" that just about made me bust my sprained rib again. He looked at me, grabbed my shoulders and pretending to be mad exclaimed "who have you been baking for? Ha ah!!" followed by "are there anymore of those tapioca chocolate thingies?" Yep, that's him, my man, never losing sight of what's important!

I did make those little pots with him in mind knowing that where I could not fix what was broken, I could certainly ease his worries for a brief moment. Chocolate is always a good start, wouldn't you say? Milk chocolate to be exact. He loves it, I love it. Can't get enough of it but we are picky about it and usually keep the good quality kind for special occasion. Now is a special occasion.

A milk chocolate cremeux is the most perfect way to say "you're smooth man, I love you". Add a bit of lime zest and you round it up with that little touch of sass that keeps things interesting. He loves tapioca pudding, I love riz au laitmade with arborio rice, which is a little bit more toothsome this way. I found a pleasant compromise by using large tapioca pearls instead of the fine grained kind but both work equally well here.

Hard to describe the pleasure of digging your spoon in such a creamy chocolate layer before the contrasting layer of tapioca and vanilla. As if it was possible to be improved upon, a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche on top actually makes them even better. That little bit of acidity is perfect to set off the creamy chocolate and round up the touch of lime.

Makes 6 to 8 depending on your serving dishes.Note: it is best to prepare this the day before and let the cremeux get a bit firmer in the fridge overnight. Not quite a pudding, not quite a cream but the perfect cousin to both.

Prepare the vanilla tapioca:In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, sugar and vanilla to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucid. Remove from the heat and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Once completely cooles, divide the tapioca in between your serving glasses or ramekins.

Prepare the chocolate cremeux: In a large saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the cream and lime zest to a simmer.In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and sugar until pale. Once the cream is hot, slowly pour it over the yolks and sugar, stirring constantly to prevent curddling. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium low heat until thick ( a bit thicker than creme anglaise but more fluid than pastry cream), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pot. Let stand a couple of minutes then stir until completely smooth and the chocolate is completely incorporated. Let cool to room temperature and divide the mixture evenly on top of the tapioca. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until slightly firmer, preferably overnight.

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comments:

Your pictures are inspiring as always! Who knew lovely desserts brings back up proposals? Just goes to prove that the way to any man's heart is ONLY the stomach:). What did you do to sprain your rib? I hope you are well now! These verrines look great, and the bottom layer is what we call 'sabudana kheer/payasam'. I am was so amused to see that it found its way into a Tartlette creation:).

I am not surprised you get e.mails asking if you will marry them. If i was a guy i would also e.mail you with the qustion, by seeing just the dessert you make.Hi hi i am sure lots of women who wants to be aasked by thei boyfriends wiill rush into the kitchen and make this if they are going to be like your dear husband.Don't they say french men are real charmers, well you have a real Irsih charmer there :-)

Now to the recips i have seen somewhere in the shop tapioca pearls should look for them.

my hubby will want to marry me again if i make him this vanilla tapioca and milk chocolate lime cremeux! where did you come up with such unique combos? they look so delicious! thank you so much for sharing =).

Ahahaha, I love this. It's like, Yes! I'm reallyreallyreallyreally happily married. But how will our lives ever be as exciting again without surprise marriage proposals sitting in our inboxes? :P Ah, I guess we will have to make up for it with good dessert, right? I'm sure this verrine fits the bill! :)

I was tickled to read that your husband feigned anger at the thought of you baking for another. My husband says those exact words to me!

I do hope that whatever your hardships may be, they pass quickly. Last time I was too consumed by my own problems to say so. Your posts have a way of brightening my day (no matter how lousy it may be!). So now, I’ll send some smiles back your way!

This is really a well laid out website. I love how your posts tie in with the food and drink theme so well. You seem to really love your site. I myself love to read up on recipes along side helping others in health. Keep up the great work here and please visit by my blog sometime. The url is http://healthy-nutrition-facts.blogspot.com

Reading your post a year ago reminded me over again how corageous and strong you are. I don't know if it helps, but A. and I are sending you good vibes from Los Angeles. There is a story about King Solomon, how he had the burdens of his people on his shoulders, and every time things got too difficult to handle, he would look at his ring, on which was inscribed "This shall pass," and it would make him feel better. One particularly difficult day, he got so frustrated with the words, he threw the ring on the floor. But then, thinking about it, he decided to pick it up again. He turned it over and the words said, "This *too* shall pass." This too shall pass, my dear.

This dessert definitely had me at hello. I love tapioca pudding and with the vanilla bean simply luxurious. For me, whenever the hubby makes his kebabs I always say..."Now I remember why I married you" he..hee..

I'm there! With spoon in hand ready to dig in :) Those look awesome. And I do mean AWESOME because I love tapioca in creamy things and I never make it myself because I would eat it all up. I think you, like many of us, cook and bake as a way of expressing a sentiment - usually love or "I like you" or "hey, I hope you feel better". Just that yours are ten times better looking than anyone else's! hee hee! Big hugs for you and B. We are rooting for you. We are always here for you. xxoo

I'm glad to hear that note about you and B. I think in all relationships, there are ups and downs and eventually both come out stronger than ever. I'm really surprised with this recipe posting - it seems to be a blend of western and asian dessert. We call the tapioca pearls in this part of the world as "sago". It's very commonly used in local desserts and cakes (kuih) and is absolutely delicious. Love the pictures as always.

Having met both you and your husband, I must say that you are a cute couple! God Bless you for getting another marriage proposal from your husband, though I suspect he says that to you quite often. Not a fan of Tapioca, but I want a dish of this Helen! Not as romantic as your story, but.... just last week, my husband actually said thanks, when I served a fabulous chocolate cake.

I'm a lurker from SE Asia and love your posts. What amazes me most are your recipes that have ingredients that are bountiful here (coconuts, mangoes, chocolates and tapioca!) and we have not thought of combining such. And also the photos are jaw dropping!

Gorgeous yet again! I laughed when you said B asked you to marry him again, as J and I are always doing that too, it's truly sickening eh?! I'd like to say we are as cosy as your tapioca and cremeux, however as he is not keen on tapioca, I'm not sure I can. But it works for me! We're a happy comfortable fruit crumble and vanilla ice cream, I guess.Love your work xxx

it looks like we both have our troubles at the moment helen and we are both cooking and baking to ease the worries. funnily enough i made baked sweet risotto with peaches to take my head away from chaos right now!

I'm just so happy you are feeling better and that you see the wonderful things (and husband! :) ) you have in your life. It helps you in these difficult times (which I hope will be shortly over).I've never made tapioca, but I love riz au lait, so I'll probably will try with that combination.

Btw, I made the mava cakes yesterday evening, they look delicious. I'll now more this afternoon, after sharing them with my colleagues! (baby shower now. not the same girl as for the wedding though!)

mmmm tapioca. you know it's made out of mandioca root---it is a staple here in brazil! we had it for dinner just last night! tapioca--manioc, mandioca, casava--all the same thing, is every where. though not the pearl pudding we have! isnt that funny. i love it as a crispy flour sprinkled on rice, we've made cakes, and pancakes, and cheese bread--but i love most just the plain old root boiled with some salt. your piped dollop of cream by the way is perfect. disgustingly cute :P

I know everything will be fine because you two have each other, darling! That's the most important of all. It's a great joy for me to bake and cook for the people I love so I know how you feel, Helen. This dessert is fabulous!

I love the concept of chocolate and lime but it's hard to get the balance right! This looks absolutely perfect. I grew up on tapioca and it is in it's own category. Simply beautiful. Cheers to you and B!

Brittany: I don't know where you are but I found them at a regular grocery store with other grains and hot cereals such as farina and crem of wheat. They are also available at health food store and are pretty cheap. They are also used for boba teas so I am pretty sure you'd have success at Asian stores.

I've been a "lurker" so far, but wanted to say thank you for always putting a smile on my face! Dessert always does that for me. While I comfort myself with much simplier desserts (I'm limited in time and talent), the power of a good dessert is amazing. It always gives me the strength, and perhaps the time, to step back and take everything in perspective - whether it's something I make for myself or just looking at your beautiful creations.

With such beautiful treats, I don't blame him for proposing to you! Thank you so much for visiting my blog. It is no secret that I'm a huge admirer of your work, so I was really chuffed to see a message from you.

love how you compared love to the tapioca pudding comfort and glue. genius and so true! i just came back from your portfolio site. congrats on that too! so many things happening and soon, it will be calm and all the craziness will pass. just how things always work out. xoxo

Between you and Y, what craziness. I hope things settle down for you (both) soon. I love your posts. I love your blog. Always an inspiration. I hope to be half the baker, stylist and photographer as you one day! :)

Very nice interview, and lovely dessert. First time posting, although I've read and loved your blog for at least a year now. Just wanted to tell you that I am smitten by your Coconut Cherry Petits Gateaux. I marked the recipe, and waited for cherry season to arrive here, and in the past week I have made these three times. Very unusual for me because I usually only rarely make a recipe more than once, especially at such a short interval. They are that good. Simple brilliance. Thank you, and warm thoughts to you in the days ahead.

Please move over Mr. Tartelette...ahemWill you marry me Tartie?There! I said it in plain view.Why no FAB pastry chef has yet to propose to me is a mystery I'm still trying to fathom - must spend more time in Montmartre cafes next trip.Could you PLEASE put up one of those ETSY widgets so people can see all, well at least 4 perfect images of your gorgeous work!!!Heavens!!!!